Back in 2005, I had just graduated from college, and it was in a difficult time in life. I had an apartment, was living by myself, and a crap job that, at least, paid the bills… just. So I was listening to The Innocence Mission a lot back in those days. (If you have not heard The Innocence Mission, please check them out.) Though I had some great friends, and looking back a lot of good memories of that time, at the time there was also a lot of difficulty. The music of The Innocence Mission seemed soothing and spiritually helpful.

And what else was going on back in 2005 you might ask? A social network called Myspace. (it sure came and went pretty fast.) So while doing social networking sort of stuff I happened to discover an artist that was recommended as similar to The Innocence Mission. This artist, at the time was only going by the her first name, Gileah, but is more commonly known as Gileah Taylor. She had just released an album called The Golden Plains, and after listening to the 3 or 4 songs found on her Myspace site, I promptly ordered the CD.

The Golden Plainshit me in a perfect way at the right time of my life. Kind of folk, but not really like the Innocence Mission, kind of singer-songwriter, well written (to the ears of someone in their 20s for sure), and well produced. Its beauty and emotion was, and is, highly effective. I must have worn the CD out playing it so much. (I still have it on rotation on my DAP). Really, the album has perfectly balanced production with a lot of space between the instruments and simple arrangements. The effect was much like Riot On An Empty Street by Kings of Convenience. The songs have space to breath, and every part sounds perfectly placed, no matter how simple, making every instrument stand out and shine individually. Though The Golden Plains is a lovely album, Gileah seemed to remain mostly unknown in the music world, which felt a little frustrating.

Almost 10 years after I discovered Gileah Taylor, in the fall of 2016 I happened to be passing through Seaside in Florida visiting family, and I stopped by their local independent record store (as is my custom). (Ms. Taylor lives in the Desten area of Florida). Because she is a local artist, this record store actually stocks copies of her albums. While at the record store, I discovered that Ms. Taylor had recorded a new album, just released a few months earlier. I decided I could not pass up the opportunity to hear what she was up to these days, so I bought a copy of her new album Songs for Late at Night vol. 2.

Before I talk a little more about this album, I want to say that the main strength of Ms. Gileah Taylor is her incredible voice. It is one of a kind, and one of the best I have heard. Like Harry Nilsson, her voice is like this amazing unique instrument of beauty. It is such a joy to hear her sing, and you get the feeling like you are witnessing a rare beauty that only exist once and for a short time. If a voice is an instrument, there is only one in the world like it, and it only exist for the lifespan of the person who possess it. It is truly a treasure, more than at stradivarius, as at least there are several of those and they last for hundreds of years. There is only one Gileah Taylor, and it is an amazing joy to hear her sing. I would say she is as good, if not better, than Norah Jones. Norah is great, but Gileah is wonderful too, and I wish she was more well known as an artist. There are certain artist, people like Feist or Regina Spektor, and they are good, but I believe Gileah Taylor is just as good or maybe better than any of them. I cannot say why some people end up being more popular than others, except for maybe they just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Or maybe they meet the right people. I have known artist in Nashville who are as good as any indie-pop sensation, but who are also almost completely unknown.

For Songs for Late at Night vol. 2, Ms. Taylor has taken her acoustic instruments, and instead of adding big drums and misplaced overly loud electric guitars (both of which do work in the right context, but not in this one), she is again back to more simple arrangements, but she has discovered the synthesizer. I have heard her say that her intent with the album was to take the listener on an otherworldly journey, and she seems to associate such otherworldlyness with the sound of synths. But, in reality, the effect is actually more like folktronica or electro-folk. Like Goldfrapp, she is merging folk style songwriting with synth/computer sounds. And, as strange as such a mashup might seem, it works really well (though she actually sounds nothing like Goldfrapp). Synth, though very normal to some of us who grew up with these sort of sounds, seems to be new territory for Gileah. I imagine that she might have wondered if it would work when creating the album. But, again, with Songs for Late at Night Vol. 2, we have fantastic production and good songs, and it sounds lovely. It ended up being a good album, and I highly recommend it.

After 10 years, hearing Gileah sing again, and sounding better than ever, I feel like have have been reacquainted with an old friend. We have both matured and changed over the past 10 years, and Gileah Taylor’s voice and music is better off for it.